Synopsis: The crew of the colony ship Covenant discover what they think is an uncharted paradise, but it is actually a dark, dangerous world, whose sole inhabitant is the synthetic David, survivor of the doomed Prometheus expedition.

Release Date: May 19, 2017

Thoughts: Anticipation was high back in 2012 when director Ridley Scott’s mysterious Prometheus arrived veiled in secrecy. Was it a prequel to Alien or wasn’t it? Early previews gave few clues and neither Scott nor 20th Century Fox did much to fill in the blanks. Prometheus sharply divided audiences and critics, some appreciating that Scott reached further back than mere prequel territory while others loathed it with a vitriol usually reserved for a Transformers sequel. Personally, I loved it and saw it several times on the big screen; it’s cliffhanger ending only made me more curious about what would happen next. The answer comes next May with Alien: Covenant and this first look is a neat (if overly gory/spoiler-y) intro to a film that looks very different than its predecessor. Perhaps Scott (The Martian) and screenwriter John Logan (Skyfall, Spectre, Hugo) are trying to please the fans and detractors of Prometheus at the same time. Riding that fine line would be good, I just hope they don’t overcompensate and make a faded copy of the original entry. Aside from Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave) and Noomi Rapace (Dead Man Down) returning in their roles, star Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) certainly is going full-on Ellen Ripley and I’m interested (and a little nervous) to see how actors like Danny McBride (This Is the End) and the recently added James Franco (Sausage Party) figure into the mix.It’s worth noting that Alien: Covenant was originally intended for a release in October 2017. It was then moved up to August before settling into a prime summer release date in May. That’s a very good sign of a studio confident they have something big…let’s hope so.